Page 56 of An Unending Claim

“That’s what it looks like,” Tanner replied.

“I still don’t get what that has to do with Hamna,” Willa piped up.

“Think about it,” Tanner continued. “The hunting of shifters starts. B kills in the alley with his typical MO. Another person—granted she’s not a shifter, but I’ll get to that—is hunted like the other shifters and left in that same alley. And now B murders on schedule.”

I ran a hand over my beard and nodded. “I can see the thread you are stringing these events together on, but it’s incredibly brittle.”

“I guess the most suspect is the woman being left in the alley,” Peyton concluded. “But I agree with Nathan, that’s not a lot to tie the events together.”

Tanner waved his hand in a stop gesture. “I’m not done. Just hear me out to the end.”

I lifted my chin at him, telling him to continue.

“Let’s not forget the Council members who are being taken.” Tanner looked at me directly. “You and I already wondered at the connection between all of them, and we came up with the fact that they were all voices of moderation. Swing votes. Fenn, Beau, and Melinda, in particular, always made their decisions with careful thought and often brought the group back from a vote that could have been disastrous.”

“Someone is trying to divide the ISC?” Peyton speculated.

“Yes, but I think that’s a smokescreen.”

I raised an eyebrow at Tanner’s theory. “Someone would take the time and effort to capture and torture Council members to distract us from something else? I see your thought process, Tanner, but it seems like a bit of a stretch.”

“Wait…” There was rustling on the other end of the phone, then Willa chimed in again. “Hamna was engaged to Orion Sinclair.”

“Isn’t he on the Shifter Council?” Peyton asked, looking up at me.

I nodded grimly. “He’s also Alpha Sinclair’s son. Their land is a county north of Castile territory.”

“Jamie Prince—one of the shifters killed upstate—was the head enforcer for the Brighton Hill pack and the Alpha’s best friend,” Willa added.

I scratched my beard as I digested this. “There are rumors that Jamie was the one actually running the pack. That Alpha Benson wasn’t strong enough to keep the position on his own, but no one would challenge him with Jamie backing him up.”

“Doesn’t their land share a border with the East Point pack?” Jase asked.

“Yes. And the East Point pack’s Alpha’s nephew was killed in one of the hunting accidents,” Willa offered. “I can see how the other murders would affect those packs, but other than the grief of losing a loved one, why would the nephew’s death be more than random?”

“Because he was the unofficial heir-apparent,” I informed them. “The Alpha’s son is a drug addict and alcoholic. They’ve kept it mostly quiet, but the council had to mediate a couple of times when he stepped over the line with another pack. Alpha Keston wants to step down, but he’s been terrified to leave the pack in his son’s hands. So he came to me and asked if I would support his nephew if he challenged Trevor for the position.”

“You’re kidding.” Tanner’s voice was shocked. There were Council issues that I couldn’t share, even with Tanner.

Although that wouldn’t apply to Peyton. Even if I’d been forbidden to tell her everything, I would have done it anyway. She’d been invaluable when I was working through a few Council issues over the last several weeks. Plus, I’d promised to be honest, to see her as a partner, and I would not break that vow. Even if I wanted to.

“What about Geoff?” The question came from Peyton, her voice soft and sad.

The room filled with tension that made the stillness seem oppressive.

Obviously, Peyton had also noticed the way he’d been excluded from the conversation thus far. I’d been about to bring him up when she’d done it first. Considering her involvement in his death, I admired her strength, and pride filled me.

“Geoff was a voice of reason in the pack,” I said, breaking the awkward silence. “He had great influence over the pack. In fact, if Tanner had turned me down, I would have made him my Beta.”

“Is the pack weaker without him?” she asked.

“Not in the way the other packs have been damaged. But I suspect Xavier doesn’t understand the concept of an Alpha who earns the respect of his pack. Geoff was level-headed and easy to talk to.”

“The Alpha’s door is always open,” Tanner added. “And everyone knows he is methodical and controlled, but even so, there are some who are too submissive to approach their Alpha. We asked Geoff to be their voice because we knew that not only would people talk to him, he made it very clear that he was not the one they followed, he was just an alternative way for them to connect with their Alpha.”

“His loss is greatly felt, but it doesn’t make us vulnerable,” I finished.

Peyton nodded solemnly. “Who else?” she inquired after a few beats.

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